If you have ever cut or bitten into a banana and left it for a while, you may have noticed that it starts to turn brown, but this problem may become less annoying with the approaching release of a genetically modified variety of banana that turns brown more slowly after being peeled or cut, and maintains its fresh appearance for a longer time.
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Britain is not the first country to take steps regarding this modified variety, developed by the British agricultural biotechnology company Tropic Biosciences. The browning-resistant banana has already received regulatory approval in at least 11 other countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan, and Brazil.
Most bananas consumed today belong to the Cavendish variety, which is a sterile, seedless variety that reproduces vegetatively, that is, by producing new plants that are genetically identical to the original plant, rather than through sexual reproduction, which allows the production of new varieties through the usual hybridization.
One of the biggest challenges facing these fruits is the rapid browning of banana flesh when peeled or cut and left exposed to air. While this change doesn't necessarily mean the fruit is unsafe to eat, it does make it look less fresh and appealing.
Behind this phenomenon lies a biochemical process involving natural compounds known as polyphenols, which are antioxidants found in ripe bananas, although their reaction with enzymes and oxygen leads to the appearance of the brown color.
The process of fruit turning brown begins with an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, produced by the gene known as PPO1, of which bananas have three copies. This enzyme contains copper in its active center and plays a key role in the initial steps of browning.
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